The case method forces students to grapple with exactly the kinds of decisions
and dilemmas managers confront every day. In doing so, it
redefines the traditional educational dynamic in which the
professor dispenses knowledge and students passively receive
it. The case method creates a classroom in which students
succeed not by simply absorbing facts and theories, but also
by exercising the skills of leadership and teamwork in the
face of real problems. Under the skillful guidance of a faculty
member, they work together to analyze and synthesize conflicting
data and points of view, to define and prioritize goals,
to persuade and inspire others who think differently, to
make tough decisions with uncertain information, and to seize
opportunity in the face of doubt.

Pioneered by Harvard Business School faculty in the 1920s, the case method began
as a way of importing slices of business reality into the
classroom in order to breathe life and instill greater meaning
into the lessons of management education.